Exodus 32:29

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible

And Moses said - Install yourselves to-day, unto Yahweh, yea every man for his son and for his brother, - so will he bestow upon you to-day, a blessing.

Parallel Translations

Geneva Bible (1587)
(For Moses had said, Cosecrate your hands vnto the Lord this day, euen euery man vpon his sonne, and vpon his brother, that there may be giuen you a blessing this day)

George Lamsa Translation
And Moses said to them, Strengthen yourselves today before the LORD, every man with his son and with his brother; for a blessing shall come upon you today.

Hebrew Names Version
Moshe said, "Consecrate yourselves today to the LORD, yes, every man against his son, and against his brother; that he may bestow on you a blessing this day."

Easy-to-Read Version
Then Moses said, "Take your role today as special servants of the Lord because you were willing to fight against even your own sons and brothers. You will receive a blessing for this."

English Standard Version
And Moses said, "Today you have been ordained for the service of the Lord , each one at the cost of his son and of his brother, so that he might bestow a blessing upon you this day."

American Standard Version
And Moses said, Consecrate yourselves to-day to Jehovah, yea, every man against his son, and against his brother; that he may bestow upon you a blessing this day.

Bible in Basic English
And Moses said, You have made yourselves priests to the Lord this day; for every one of you has made the offering of his son and his brother; the blessing of the Lord is on you this day.

Contemporary English Version
Moses said to them, "You obeyed the Lord and did what was right, and so you will serve as his priests for the people of Israel. It was hard for you to kill your own sons and brothers, but the Lord has blessed you and made you his priests today."

Complete Jewish Bible
Moshe said, "You have consecrated yourselves today to Adonai , because every one of you has been against his own son and against his own kinsman, in order to bring a blessing on yourselves today."

JPS Old Testament (1917)
And Moses said: 'Consecrate yourselves to-day to the LORD, for every man hath been against his son and against his brother; that He may also bestow upon you a blessing this day.'

King James Version (1611)
For Moses had said, Consecrate your selues to day to the Lord, euen euery man vpon his sonne, and vpon his brother, that he may bestow vpon you a blessing this day.

Amplified Bible
Then Moses said [to the Levites], "Dedicate yourselves today to the LORD—for each man has been against his own son and his own brother [in his attempt to escape execution]—so that He may restore and bestow His blessing on you this day."

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And Moses said to them, Ye have filled your hands this day to the Lord each one on his son or on his brother, so that blessing should be given to you.

English Revised Version
And Moses said, Consecrate yourselves today to the LORD, yea, every man against his son, and against his brother; that he may bestow upon you a blessing this day.

Berean Standard Bible
Afterward, Moses said, "Today you have been ordained for service to the LORD, since each man went against his son and his brother; so He has bestowed a blessing on you this day."

Lexham English Bible
And Moses said, "You are ordained today for Yahweh, because each has been against his son and against his brother and so bringing on you today a blessing."

Literal Translation
And Moses said, Fill your hand today for Jehovah, since each one has been against his son and against his brother, and in order to give you a blessing today.

New Century Version
Then Moses said, "Today you have been given for service to the Lord . You were willing to kill your own sons and brothers, and God has blessed you for this."

New English Translation
Moses said, "You have been consecrated today for the Lord , for each of you was against his son or against his brother, so he has given a blessing to you today."

New King James Version
Then Moses said, "Consecrate yourselves today to the LORD, that He may bestow on you a blessing this day, for every man has opposed his son and his brother."

New Living Translation
Then Moses told the Levites, "Today you have ordained yourselves for the service of the Lord , for you obeyed him even though it meant killing your own sons and brothers. Today you have earned a blessing."

New Life Bible
Then Moses said, "Today you have set yourselves apart for the Lord. For each man has been against his son and against his brother, so the Lord may bring good to you today."

Douay-Rheims Bible
And Moses said: You have consecrated your hands this day to the Lord, every man in his son and in his brother, that a blessing may be given to you.

Revised Standard Version
And Moses said, "Today you have ordained yourselves for the service of the LORD, each one at the cost of his son and of his brother, that he may bestow a blessing upon you this day."

Good News Translation
Moses said to the Levites, "Today you have consecrated yourselves as priests in the service of the Lord by killing your sons and brothers, so the Lord has given you his blessing."

King James Version
For Moses had said, Consecrate yourselves today to the Lord , even every man upon his son, and upon his brother; that he may bestow upon you a blessing this day.

Darby Translation
And Moses said, Consecrate yourselves to-day to Jehovah, yea, every man with his son, and with his brother, and bring on yourselves a blessing to-day.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And Moises seide, Ye han halewid youre hondis to dai to the Lord, ech man in his sone, and brother, that blessyng be youun to you.

Young's Literal Translation
and Moses saith, `Consecrate your hand to-day to Jehovah, for a man [is] against his son, and against his brother, so as to bring on you to-day a blessing.'

World English Bible
Moses said, "Consecrate yourselves today to Yahweh, yes, every man against his son, and against his brother; that he may bestow on you a blessing this day."

Update Bible Version
And Moses said, You have been consecrated today to Yahweh, yes, every man against his son, and against his brother; that he may bestow on you a blessing this day.

Webster's Bible Translation
For Moses had said, Consecrate yourselves to-day to the LORD, even every man upon his son, and upon his brother; that he may bestow upon you a blessing this day.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And Moyses sayd: Fill your handes vnto the Lord this day, euery man vpo his sonne, & vpo his brother, & that there may be geuen you a blessing this day.

Christian Standard Bible®
Afterward Moses said, “Today you have been dedicated to the Lord, since each man went against his son and his brother. Therefore you have brought a blessing on yourselves today.”

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
The sayde Moses: Cosecrate youre handes this daie vnto the LORDE, euery man vpon his sonne and brother, that the prayse maye be geuen ouer you this daye.

THE MESSAGE
Moses said, "You confirmed your ordination today—and at great cost, even killing your sons and brothers! And God has blessed you."

New American Standard Bible
Then Moses said, "Dedicate yourselves today to the LORD—for every man has been against his son and against his brother—in order that He may bestow a blessing upon you today."

New Revised Standard
Moses said, "Today you have ordained yourselves for the service of the Lord , each one at the cost of a son or a brother, and so have brought a blessing on yourselves this day."

New American Standard Bible (1995)
Then Moses said, "Dedicate yourselves today to the LORD—for every man has been against his son and against his brother—in order that He may bestow a blessing upon you today."

Legacy Standard Bible
Then Moses said, "Be ordained today to Yahweh—for every man has been against his son and against his brother—in order that He may bestow a blessing upon you today."

Contextual Overview

²¹ And Moses said unto Aaron, What had this people done to thee, - that thou shouldst have brought upon them a great sin? ²² And Aaron said, Let not the anger of my lord kindle, - thou thyself, knowest the people, that ready for mischief, they are. ²³ So they said to me - Make for us gods, who shall go before us, - for, as for this, Moses - the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we know not what hath befallen him. ²⁴ And I said to them - Whosoever hath gold let them break it off, So they gave it to me, - and I cast it into the fire, and there came out - this calf. ²⁵ And Moses saw the people, that unbridled, they were, - for Aaron had given them the rein, for a whispering, among their enemies. ²⁶ So Moses took his stand in the gate of the camp, and said - Who is for Yahweh? …To me! Then gathered unto him all the sons of Levi, ²⁷ And he said to them - Thus, saith Yahweh, God of Israel, Put ye every man his sword upon his thigh, - pass through and return from gate to gate in the camp, and slay ye every man his brother and every man his friend and every man his neighbour. ²⁸ So the sons of Levi did, according to the word of Moses, - and there fell from among the people on that day, about three thousand men. ²⁹ And Moses said - Install yourselves to-day, unto Yahweh, yea every man for his son and for his brother, - so will he bestow upon you to-day, a blessing.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Or, another reading of this verse is, and Moses said, Consecrate yourselves to-day to the Lord; because every man hath been against his son and against his brother, etc.

Moses: Numbers 25:11-13, Deuteronomy 13:6-11, Deuteronomy 33:9, Deuteronomy 33:10, 1 Samuel 15:18-22, Proverbs 21:3, Joel 2:12-14, Zechariah 13:3, Matthew 10:37

Consecrate: Heb. fill your hands

Reciprocal: Exodus 29:9 - consecrate Exodus 32:27 - slay every man Numbers 35:8 - possession 2 Chronicles 13:9 - consecrate himself Ezekiel 43:26 - consecrate themselves

Cross-References

Genesis 32:3
Then did Jacob send messengers before him unto Esau his brother, to the land of Seir, the field of Edom.

Genesis 32:4
And he commanded them, saying, Thus, shall ye say to my lord to Esau, Thus, saith thy servant Jacob, With Laban, have I sojourned, and tarried until now:

Genesis 32:13
And he tarried there that night, and took of that which came to his hand a present for Esau his brother:

Genesis 32:14
She-goats, two hundred; And he-goats, twenty; Ewes, two hundred; And rams, twenty;

Genesis 32:16
And he gave them into the hand of his Servants, each drove by itself, and said unto his servants - Pass over before me, and, a breathing-space, shall ye put betwixt drove and drove.

Genesis 32:18
then shalt thou say, To thy servant Jacob: It is, a present, sent to my lord, to Esau; And behold he himself also is behind us,

Genesis 32:26
Then said he - Let me go, for uprisen hath the dawn. And he said: I will not let thee go, except thou have blessed me

Genesis 32:27
Then he said unto him - What is thy name? And he said - Jacob.

Genesis 32:28
Then he said - Not Jacob, shall thy name be called any more, but Israel, - For thou hast contended with God and with men and hast prevailed.

Genesis 32:29
Then asked Jacob and said, Do, I pray thee, tell me thy name! And he said - Wherefore now, shouldest thou ask for my name? And he blessed him there,

Gill's Notes on the Bible

For Moses had said,.... To the Levites, when he first gave them their orders:

consecrate yourselves today to the Lord; devote yourselves to his service, by obeying his orders, slaying those, or the heads of them, who have cast so much contempt upon him as to worship the golden calf in his room; and which would be as acceptable to him as the offerings were, by which Aaron and his sons were consecrated to the Lord; and as these Levites were consecrated to his service this day, on this account:

[even] every man upon his son, and upon his brother; not sparing the nearest relation found in this idolatry, and for which the tribe of Levi is commended and blessed in the blessing of Moses, Deuteronomy 33:8 and as it follows,

that he may bestow a blessing upon you this day; which was their being taken into the service of God to minister to the priests in the sanctuary, to bear the vessels of the Lord, and for their maintenance to have the tithes of the people: this day was, according to the Jewish writers s, the seventeenth of Tammuz, or June, on which day the Jews keep a fast upon this account.

s Sedar Olam Rabba, c. 6. p. 18. Pirke Eliezer, c. 46.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The faithfulness of Moses in the office that had been entrusted to him was now to be put to the test. It was to be made manifest whether he loved his own glory better than he loved the brethren who were under his charge; whether he would prefer that he should himself become the founder of a “great nation,” or that the Lord’s promise should be fulfilled in the whole people of Israel. This may have been especially needful for Moses, in consequence of his natural disposition. See Numbers 12:3; and compare Exodus 3:11. With this trial of Moses repeated in a very similar manner Numbers 14:11-23, may be compared the trial of Abraham Genesis 22:0 and of our Saviour Matthew 4:8-10.

Exodus 32:8

These be thy gods ... have brought - This is thy god, O Israel, who has brought ...

Exodus 32:10

Let me alone - But Moses did not let the Lord alone; he wrestled, as Jacob had done, until, like Jacob, he obtained the blessing Genesis 32:24-29.

Exodus 32:14

This states a fact which was not revealed to Moses until after his second intercession when he had come down from the mountain and witnessed the sin of the people Exodus 32:30-34. He was then assured that the Lord’s love to His ancient people would prevail God is said, in the language of Scripture, to “repent,” when His forgiving love is seen by man to blot out the letter of His judgments against sin (2 Samuel 24:16; Joel 2:13; Jonah 3:10, etc.); or when the sin of man seems to human sight to have disappointed the purposes of grace (Gen 6:6; 1 Samuel 15:35, etc.). The awakened conscience is said to “repent,” when, having felt its sin, it feels also the divine forgiveness: it is at this crisis that God, according to the language of Scripture, repents toward the sinner. Thus, the repentance of God made known in and through the One true Mediator reciprocates the repentance of the returning sinner, and reveals to him atonement.

Exodus 32:17-18

Moses does not tell Joshua of the divine communication that had been made to him respecting the apostasy of the people, but only corrects his impression by calling his attention to the kind of noise which they are making.

Exodus 32:19

Though Moses had been prepared by the revelation on the Mount, his righteous indignation was stirred up beyond control when the abomination was before his eyes.

Exodus 32:20

See Deuteronomy 9:21. What is related in this verse must have occupied some time and may have followed the rebuke of Aaron. The act was symbolic, of course. The idol was brought to nothing and the people were made to swallow their own sin (compare Micah 7:13-14).

Exodus 32:22

Aaron’s reference to the character of the people, and his manner of stating what he had done Exo. 5:24, are very characteristic of the deprecating language of a weak mind.

Exodus 32:23

Make us gods - Make us a god.

Exodus 32:25

Naked - Rather unruly, or “licentious”.

Shame among their enemies - Compare Psalms 44:13; Psalms 79:4; Deuteronomy 28:37.

Exodus 32:26-29

The tribe of Levi, Moses’ own tribe, now distinguished itself by immediately returning to its allegiance and obeying the call to fight on the side of Yahweh. We need not doubt that the 3,000 who were slain were those who persisted in resisting Moses. The spirit of the narrative forbids us to conceive that the act of the Levites was anything like an indiscriminate massacre. An amnesty had first been offered to all by the words: “Who is on the Lord’s side?” Those who were forward to draw the sword were directed not to spare their closest relations or friends; but this must plainly have been with an understood qualification as regards the conduct of those who were to be slain. Had it not been so, they who were on the Lord’s side would have had to destroy each other. We need not stumble at the bold, simple way in which the statement is made.

Exodus 32:29

Consecrate yourselves to day to the Lord ... - The margin contains the literal rendering. Our version gives the most probable meaning of the Hebrew, and is supported by the best authority. The Levites were to prove themselves in a special way the servants of Yahweh, in anticipation of their formal consecration as ministers of the sanctuary (compare Deuteronomy 10:8), by manifesting a self-sacrificing zeal in carrying out the divine command, even upon their nearest relatives.

Exodus 32:31

Returned unto the Lord - i. e. again he ascended the mountain.

Gods of gold - a god of gold.

Exodus 32:32

For a similar form of expression, in which the conclusion is left to be supplied by the mind of the reader, see Daniel 3:15; Luke 13:9; Luke 19:42; John 6:62; Romans 9:22. For the same thought, see Romans 9:3. It is for such as Moses and Paul to realize, and to dare to utter, their readiness to be wholly sacrificed for the sake of those whom God has entrusted to their love. This expresses the perfected idea of the whole burnt-offering.

Thy book - The figure is taken from the enrolment of the names of citizens. This is its first occurrence in the Scriptures. See the marginal references. and Isaiah 4:3; Daniel 12:1; Luke 10:20; Philippians 4:3; Revelation 3:5, etc.

Exodus 32:33, Exodus 32:34

Each offender was to suffer for his own sin. Compare Exodus 20:5; Ezekiel 18:4, Ezekiel 18:20. Moses was not to be taken at his word. He was to fulfill his appointed mission of leading on the people toward the land of promise.

Exodus 32:34

Mine Angel shall go before thee - See the marginal references and Genesis 12:7.

In the day when I visit ... - Compare Numbers 14:22-24. But though the Lord chastized the individuals, He did not take His blessing from the nation.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Exodus 32:29. For Moses had said, Consecrate yourselves — Fill your hands to the Lord. See the reason of this form of speech in Clarke's note on "Exodus 29:19".